These gorgeous books came with the perfect (for me) bookmark. #botm

#botm books are up!

We did gifts last night and I received three new books, plus this gift box that was themed around my all time favorite book. Happy holidays, Littens!

On a month that I wasn‘t really feeling any of the main picks, I ended up with a three book box. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #botm

I picked up this beauty at an auction today and I‘m in love.

So, Anthony and I got married yesterday! As my last name is (and will continue to be) Marquess, the tagged book was perfect for this post. It was simple and sweet at the courthouse with my best friend and his sister by our sides. We are waiting until the photographer gets us photos to inform folks, but I wanted the Littens to know. We are off to a spa day this afternoon and counting down the days until our May 2022 Santorini honeymoon!

I got three different pieces of #bookmail today!

I loved this book and so did my students. They thought it was amazing. One of them, though, who works in a tiny town‘s grain elevator, found his copy in his work‘s trash can. His boss had thrown it away and said to keep that “communist bullshit in the trash.” What an ass. WBWQ is funny, moving, touching, and full of fun info on Brooklyn‘s queer history. It‘s a really approachable non-fic read and my students tell me the audio is fantastic.

I chose this one for #BOTM and my mom is getting the Arsenic and Adobo, so we can swap!

I should be reading the tagged book, or any number of my BOTM TBR pile, or to prep for upcoming lectures. Instead, the second dose of vaccine has knocked my on my ass and I‘m going to watch Dances With Wolves with some hot tea.

These are my top 6 fiction books (of 43) I read in 2020. It was a difficult year for reading- I had to suddenly record all my lectures for 4 classes in March- then re-record them in August because I made them semester specific in March- I taught 2 extra classes this fall, and I researched/wrote an article so that took up a lot of time. Maybe next year, I‘ll have some more time to read outside of student papers- so many student papers!

Here are my top five nonfiction books I read this year (of 28). When Brooklyn was Queer was #1- the others are in no particular order.

I am finishing my last book of 2020 with this sweet girl on my lap. Sophie looks pissed here, but she‘s just mid purr (and probably mildly disgruntled that I stopped petting to type this post). Later today, I intend to avoid cleaning/course prep to reflect on my reading log (only 68 books this year 😭) and try and identify a top 10.

My boys did well! (With a little help from Owen‘s stepmom 😍.) Anthony also got me some bubble bath and a bathtub board with a place to prop up my books in the bath! I‘m all set for holiday reading :). Happy holidays, littens!

Last week I got a text from Owen “have you read the new book by Brock Obama?” Then this present showed up, wrapped by his step mom. When I mentioned that Anthony was getting me a couple books he asked which ones (Chasten Buttigieg and Billy Jensen‘s) and then made me promise I wouldn‘t buy anything for myself because he‘s afraid I might buy what is in this box. I‘m pretty sure my boy picked out A Promised Land for me! Stay tuned on Xmas 🎄.

I‘m teaching LGBTQ World History next semester and it is enabling me to buy more books. I *need* them to prepare for class! These two arrived today, and several more are on the way to join all the others I justified purchasing recently. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I‘m getting a remote start installed in Anthony‘s truck today and expected the shop to offer to take me to my office. They didn‘t. So, here I sit, waiting for 2-4 hours and I just heard the phrase “I seen” twice and “them seats.” Ugh. Good thing I put this book in my purse. Oh and did I mention they aren‘t wearing masks? Western Kansas is apparently deeply committed to idiocy.

The previous page states: “In an age of prized religious relics, the most prized relic of them all was Jesus‘ foreskin.” Apparently, the Church employed someone to do a fucking taste test to determine the authenticity of such relics. What the actual fuck?!

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Easily one of the best books I‘ve read this year.

Some #bookmail arrived today! I love that my job provides justification for random book buying sprees. #historiansoflitsy

May her memory be a revolution. Rest in power, RBG.

I got some #bookmail today from New York Press. I am interested to check this book out for my upcoming LGBTQ History and/or History of Sexuality class.

My #BOTM box arrived with the BOTM candle and a book I had ordered from Amazon (which I promptly forgot about ordering, so it was a surprise!). Now, how to decide which one goes first? 🤔

Can‘t wait to dive into this one! #lgbt #Hollywood

I just love her- this might be my new favorite signed book.

It is apparently too bright in here for Sophie‘s nap preferences.

I love this- rather than just stick a hotline in the acknowledgements, she‘s trigger warning up front. “Be gentle with yourself” is great advise.

I‘m torn on this one. There were parts that I loved- some of the prose is lovely & I love a NYC setting & an unlikeable narrator. The MC makes a slew of bad choices & oof, the guy she gets involved with is even worse. There were other parts of this book that just didn‘t work. It felt like the author tried really hard to be edgy, but needed an honest friend to read it & provide feedback. It started strong and the end was ok, but the middle-meh.

When your #BOTM arrives unexpectedly early after a long day at work, a bath is in order.

The library had free books today and I snagged all of these! Some of them I‘ve already read but am sending to a former student of mine who has similar bookish tastes. I am excited to make room on my shelves for these!

I‘m hoping to get through the tagged book today while Owen has his second surgery of the summer- this time, to fix a displaced growth plate. 2020 is a dumpster fire.

Anthony let me open one of my bday presents early- a sunbathing chair that has a face hole for reading! I‘m sure there is a better term than face hole, but this will definitely mean that I should have a more even tan this year rather than just a tan on the front side 😂.

Sophie and I took the day off from article revision and course development to read and relax.

Research for my article on 19th c. prostitution in Hays City has been fun throughout. One of the books had a list of creative professional names (a fav was Whorey Dory) but I think Scarlot Harlot might be my new favorite. This book should add in a little sex-positive feminism in viewing prostitution. I‘m also quite certain that all of my recent library searches/amazon purchases have me on a list somewhere!

#pridemonth

Jo is a Chinese American actor turned show runner who never comments on her love life. Her assistant, a Jewish, bisexual younger woman helps get her through all her stressful days. When a tabloid rumor spreads that they are romantically linked, it stresses them both out, but causes them to wonder if there is something there. If you need something lighter, something happy, something LGBT friendly- I highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The tagged book is one that I recently read (and loved) on my kindle, but had to have as a hardcover, too. I‘m using it for LGBTQ World History in the spring, so I want to highlight it up. The Stone Wall Reader is another I‘ll use for that class‘ prep and came in just in time for #pridemonth.

It‘s a dreary, rainy day here. It is perfect weather for reading and a cat nap 😻.

I may have a book buying problem 😬.

Doing a little afternoon reading with my new library candle from Etsy. ♥️

“A sign on the front door read ‘men are admitted, but not welcome.‘” 😂 love it.

Sophie apparently does not want me to read my new #BOTM book, which just came in. In a moment of “treat yo self” I also got The Knockout Queen and The Boyfriend Project. What did you get?

I am finally making some progress in this book. It is lovely and delightful. The quarantine fog + extra work (search committees) has prevented me from focusing on reading. I hope May will be better to my reading goals. Here is a picture of my 14lb ball of floof, Sophie for your enjoyment.

I am taking work from home to a new level and reviewing a book for course adoption from my bath. This is the first time I‘ve brought a highlighter to the bathtub!

I got a new TV stand that doubles as a second bookshelf. Naturally, this means I need to buy more books because I stole some of these from my other living room shelf. ♥️📚📚📚

Sophie is snoring, so I had better read the book I‘ve got going on my kindle so she can keep using my other book as a headrest. 🎵happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr🎵 😻

I got some #Litsylove from my book sister @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks today! Mail makes me happy, especially when it is books and especially when it is at a time that I am having to work from home. Thank you so much for thinking of me Misty! When I next go out to the store I need to pick up a card so I can write you back- or else you may end up with notebook paper. I think I may have something to send your way, but I need to check your TBR! ♥️♥️♥️

Sophie is glad it‘s Friday and hoping her humans can spend some time reading (and petting)! Current read is tagged- I‘m not far in, but find it really engaging so far.

New book (desk copy) from a publisher and pretty flowers from Anthony. 🥰

Um, excuse me, ma‘am, but I was trying to read. #catsoflitsy